‘Bloody Ishq’ (2024) Hotstar Movie Review - A Laughable Effort

Bloody Ishq is a Vikram Bhatt horror thriller written by Mahesh Bhatt. It stars Avika Gor and Vardhan Puri as the main leads. After being in an accident, Neha (played by Avika) loses her memory and her husband Romesh is there to provide her love and support. She's sceptical about the things happening around her yet, there's nothing that can solidify her beliefs. The couple lives on a secluded island in Scotland in a big palace (which looks so fake by the way). There's paranormal activity in the house and the ghost can be heard moaning. This is the first time that I've ever heard of a ghost moaning and the visuals are laughable. I mean are you trying to present a horror thriller or a comedy film?

Due to the gaps in her memory, Neha goes on a hunt to discover who the ghost is and what it is that she wants. Her husband is equally involved in hiding the truth from her which depicts his contribution behind the paranormal activities. With a friend's help, Neha is able to solve the mystery and uncover the truth that has been haunting her for so long.

If a writer presents you with a story that's based in foreign countries (like here, in Scotland) then, either you include beautiful locations or simply modify the script. I'm still in shock after seeing so much use of technology that it makes me go nuts thinking about how much green screen was used. I have an honest question, was using technology much cheaper than shooting the film in a foreign land? Even the hospital scenes filmed were fake and you can see Avika Gor’s white boots blending in with the floor. The limited use of locations and reliance upon editing made this film a cringe-watch for me. There are scenes where a conversation is happening between two characters still, and only one's lips are moving to produce words. It's not as if Neha learned telepathy to respond. Even if I keep aside this fact, the truth about the plot will be more humiliating. A comparison between the two can not be made because one was bad and the other was worse.

Avika Gor has starred in some very famous Indian soap dramas and this wasn't expected from her. Coming to Vardhan Puri, the man looked hilarious trying to sing the lyrics of the song. Even the ghost shown in the 138-minute-long film performed better than them. The team should've created a ghost that looked like one. Instead of being scared (and I have very low horror tolerance levels) of the ghost, I was laughing and what could've been great moments were simply ruined by cheesy dialogue.

In my opinion, the title is a blunder and Vikram Bhatt disappointed the audience. When the first twist in the movie came, I was satisfied and if they had decided to end there, it would've had better outcomes. Looking at how they started the movie with a mystery and component of memory loss, the direction in which the film was headed appeared okayish. However, soon there are such crazy things included that make you wonder about the idea behind the script. In Neha’s life, there are a lot of twists and turns. God bless this woman as she's too good for society. Defying logic, she believed in whatever was narrated to her including having two best friends. The twist at the last was nice and that's the sole reason behind rating it three.

Final Score – [3/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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Publisher at Midgard Times